My second handle, and first attempt with birch bark. It was a LOT of work prepping the bark, and gluing it all together. Unlike cork, it can be turned, and that was a lot of fun. The end caps are cocobolo sandwiched around briar (the wood used for tobacco pipes).
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Another shot of the briar reel seat. Briar is a beautiful wood and very hard. I suspect it will be perfect for a reel seat both in beauty and durability. This is my first rod build. Any fit and finish comments and pointers would be quite welcome. I always want to get better. On the wraps in particular, any comments and tips on how to get them as smooth as possible would be appreciated.
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Here is a closer shot of the briar reel seat I turned. The finish on the seat is a super glue finish. The wood portions of the handle are also briar.
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I made this handle and reel seat from briar, the wood from which I also make pipes. I thought therefore, it would be appropriate to show off the handle and seat with a pipe. This is my first fly rod build. It is a Dan Craft Sig V 9' 5wt. Andy Dear was a HUGE help in the creation of the handle and reel seat, and Dan Craft answered lots of my piddly newbie build questions. Thanks to both guy
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I nearly started a thread on this very subject a few days ago myself. I too am frustrated by shipping charges by some rod building vendors. As one who has had his own business and understands the additional costs of shipping over and above the postage rate, I am STILL frustrated by rod building vendors. What is most frustrating to me is the common policy of shipping charges being tied to th
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FWIW, I use Gorilla Glue. I had never used the stuff before and made the mistake of getting it on my hands. It took about a week to wear off. However, it worked GREAT for holding the birch. I glued up the bark 20 rings at a time, and they came off the all-thread clamp as rock solid bricks. They were so stout I was worried that they wouldn't feel good in the hand after shaped. That turned o
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Is the finish method for the threadless guide wrapping strong enough to reinforce ferrules? If so, this would be a TRULY clear method.
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I recently had trouble trying to cut birch bark this way. I was spinning the hole saw fairly fast, as I recall. I don't know exactly how fast, but my thought as I was having trouble was to slow down, not speed up. I never got it working though, so maybe even faster would have been better. Tyler
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The hole saw would certainly be more efficient. I may have been turning it too fast, I don't know. I did successfully cut a piece with it after several unsuccessful tries, but I broke that piece getting it out of the bit. After that I called it quits. Of course, this was before I knew how much work I was getting myself into. Next time around I'll be more motivated to make that work. Tha
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Thanks for the kind words. One thing I forgot to mention was the texture, I really like it. It is somewhere between standard cork and leather. It feels great in the hand. Oh, and the 8 hours spent working on it is a little deceiving. I can produce a second handle with only minimal work. I've got a few more glued up chunks of bark ready to go. The hard work is done for a second handle
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After seeing several beautiful pics of birch bark handles, I decided to make one for myself. Conveniently -- though incredibly painfully -- I snapped the butt section of my Dan Craft 905-4 Sig V. I suppose I could have repaired it, but instead I salvaged the components and ordered a replacement butt section from Dan. Being down in the West Texas desert, there is no local birch bark to harve
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I am now in process with my second fly rod build, and I just went through the same decision. (Seems like a 7wt is borderline between those two sizes.) I'm building a FT907-4 from Dan Craft, and after talking to Dan opted to go with 7's (in the Fuji TiSic). I'm no expert, but I trust Dan's judgment. I look forward to seeing the advice you get, as I nearly posted this same question a few days
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Add me to the list of fans of Mark and Colleen at @#$%&. I too have had recent dealings with them, and they were wonderful. Tyler
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I hate to be rude and reply to my own post, but I went ahead and called Dan. As a FWIW, the new design Sig V's DO NOT require such long ferrule wraps. I understood Dan correctly, and a normal guide wrap is long enough to provide the necessary protection.
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Thanks to all who make this board so helpful. I am new to rod building. I live in Midland, TX, and have developed an interest in fly fishing, and thus the rod build. A special BIG thanks to Andy Dear, who graciously hosted me in his shop and patiently answered my newbie questions. Thanks Andy! Thanks to Andy, I was able to turn the grip and reel seat for this rod, and it turned out gre
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